Chapter 7
People said alcohol brought out the truth.
Even if Maxwell once had feelings for me, they were as light as a breeze. All it took was a few words from Karina to blow them
away.
My hospitalization was indeed caused by her manipulation. But if Maxwell hadn’t blindly trusted her, things wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Neither of them were innocent.
I took a cab back to the villa where Maxwell and I had lived for seven years, and packed up all my belongings.
Some were clothes and gifts Maxwell bought me during the first two years of our marriage. Others were decorations and supplies I had added to the house.
The things that truly belonged to me were few.
I didn’t take any of them with me. Instead, I had the housekeeper haul it all out and burn it.
All those items, carrying seven years of my painful and joyful memories, vanished in a blaze. Just like my feelings for Maxwell, they were completely burned away.
He rushed home just as I was tossing our wedding album into the fire.
“Natalie, stop!”
He hadn’t even parked properly before charging out like a madman.
He reached out for the album, but the flames had already devoured it.
Maxwell’s eyes turned red. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me relentlessly.
“That’s our wedding album! We promised we’d take a new wedding photo every year and put it in there!”
“There’s no need to keep it. We stopped adding new ones after the third year. What’s the point in keeping it?” I said, my voice
flat and indifferent.
Maxwell looked guilty and hurt. “Darling, next week is our seventh anniversary. Let’s go take the photos. We’ll make up for all the missed years, okay?”
I shook my head again and pushed his hand away.
“I’ve submitted my resignation to the hospital. Dr. Conner, I’ll need your signature as soon as possible.”
Maxwell stared straight at me. To my surprise, tears spilled down his face.
“Natalie, you can’t perform surgeries in your condition. If you leave Conner Hospital, how will you make a living? Don’t say things you’ll regret, I’ve already notified the police to arrest Karina. There will be no one else between us. Let’s just start fresh, okay?”
That was never going to happen.
He was about to say more to win me back, but a driver had already taken my luggage and opened the car door for me. “Ms. Shepard, we need to go now, or else you’ll miss your flight.”
Maxwell’s pupils trembled.
“You’re going abroad? You’re throwing away our memories, abandoning Conner Hospital. Now, you don’t even want me anymore?”
1/2
Ch 7
+15 Bonus
I didn’t answer because there was no point. He knew better than anyone who gave up first.
Besides, I hadn’t given up being a doctor.
My body was too weak right now. I could barely take care of myself, let alone treat patients. Right now, I needed to use this time to improve my medical skills with my savings.
I’d long dreamed of attending that world-renowned surgical school overseas.
But after I married Maxwell, he told me there was no use in women learning too much. Eventually, they’d have to return to the house anyway. He said it was a waste of medical resources.
At the time, I didn’t agree with his view. But during the first two years of our marriage, he was truly attentive and gentle to me.
Thinking of Lydia’s dying wish, I let go of my passion for medicine.
But just as I convinced myself and became immersed in our life, I realized that Maxwell’s attentiveness had been secretly given to Karina.
Now, I was all alone. For the rest of my life, I would only pursue my own dreams.
My time abroad was fulfilling and intense. It took me a month to adjust to life there, and half a year to truly integrate into the local medical community.
At first, they were dismissive of me as just another unfamiliar face.
But after a few joint surgical training sessions, they began to see me differently.
During my free time, I also started exercising to regain my strength. To return to the operating room, both mental sharpness and physical strength were essential.
Just as my life was getting better, Molly called me with some juicy gossip.
“Nat, you’re going to love this. You won’t believe how terribly Karina has ended up.”
